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The death toll in Tuesday\u2019s nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic kept steadily rising, as rescue workers using heavy machinery, drones and dogs worked into the night in a frantic quest to find survivors. <\/p>\n
By late Tuesday, at least 89 people had died, after the roof suddenly caved in at about 12:45 a.m. during a concert at Jet Set, a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo. Its Monday night dance party was a decades-old tradition frequented by a who\u2019s who of Dominican society \u2014 <\/span>many of whom were still trapped inside.<\/p>\n Among those either killed or injured during the merengue concert were a governor, a member of the Dominican Republic\u2019s congress and two former U.S. Major League Baseball players.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are not enough words to express the pain this event causes,\u201d the club\u2019s owner, Antonio Espaillat, said in <\/span>a video<\/a> posted on social media. \u201cWhat happened has been devastating for everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Officials said they were focused on rescues and had not yet begun to investigate the cause of the tragedy. The building, a former movie theater, was at least 50 years old and had been the scene of a fire several years ago.<\/p>\n The authorities said it was unclear how many people were inside at the time of the collapse. Victims were still being pulled from the rubble, alive and dead.<\/p>\n With each grim update, the death toll climbed. <\/p>\n By late Tuesday evening, the National Institute of Forensic Sciences had received 89 bodies, according to its director, Santos Jim\u00e9nez.<\/p>\n In a series of social media<\/a> posts<\/a>, officials said rescuers made at least 155 trips to local hospitals.<\/p>\n So many people were injured that ambulances initially had to carry two or three to the hospital at a time, <\/span>Juan Manuel M\u00e9ndez, the director of the Emergency Operations Center, said in an Instagram video shared by the national police.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe are taking out the people we can rescue alive,\u201d Mr. M\u00e9ndez said. \u201cYou can hear people asking to be helped.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Jet Set, which has been open for 50 years, is one of the most famous<\/a> clubs<\/a> in the Dominican Republic. It is especially well known for its Monday shows<\/a>, a staple of live music in the city.<\/p>\n Anxious family members gathered at the scene under a blazing sun, desperate for news of their loved ones. Some people said they had up to seven relatives missing following the disaster.<\/p>\n Among those at the nightclub was Nelsy M. Cruz Mart\u00ednez, the governor of the Dominican province Monte Cristi, an area in the northwest of the country near the border with Haiti.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ms. Cruz called President Luis Abinader at 12:49 a.m., while she was trapped in the rubble, the first lady, Raquel P. Arbaje, told reporters at the scene.<\/a><\/p>\n Ms. Cruz died later in a hospital, Mr. Abinader said<\/a> outside the club Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n \u201cWe deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub,\u201d Mr. Abinader said on X<\/a>. \u201cWe have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Octavio Dotel, 51, a former pitcher in the Major Leagues, was pulled from the rubble and taken to an area hospital. He later died, the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic announced.<\/a><\/p>\n Another former major league baseball player, Tony Blanco, also died, the commissioner of Major League Baseball confirmed in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Several members of the Dominican Congress were thought to have been inside the club, and several lawmakers went to the site.<\/p>\n Carlos J. Gil Rodr\u00edguez, who represents Santo Domingo in congress, was injured and required emergency surgery, his office said. His wife was injured and released from the hospital, but his two assistants who were also at the event have not been found.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dear brother!\u201d one woman screamed upon learning that her sibling had not survived.<\/p>\n Another woman, Yeheris Ventura, sobbed as she described the anxiety of not hearing from her husband, G\u00e1lver Silvestre, who was at the club and whose name was not among the list of survivors or the dead that had been circulated.<\/p>\n Monday\u2019s show featured Rubby P\u00e9rez, a merengue singer. <\/p>\n Videos<\/a> circulating<\/a> on social media and verified by The New York Times showed Mr. P\u00e9rez performing before a group of revelers. The camera began shaking and people started screaming as a large chandelier dropped from the ceiling.<\/p>\n